Arie Kouandjio, right tackle

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Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason AP poll that was released Saturday. The Crimson Tide are also No. 1 in the Coaches poll. When it comes to discussing who should be No. 1 entering the 2013 season, there’s no debate.

Alabama has won the past two BCS titles and three of the last four and until someone proves it can bump the Tide from its perch looking down on the rest of college football, it’s only right that No. 1 is where they start.

But even last season, Alabama was not unbeatable. The Tide lost—at home—to Texas A&M. They also rallied in the final minute to beat LSU and stuffed Georgia five yards short of an upset in the SEC Championship Game.

They can be beaten. But there’s no arguing that the Tide can win the BCS title again in 2013.

Sporting News is looking at some of the 10 teams The Linemakers designated as having the best odds to claim the BCS championship. We’ve already looked at Oregon, Texas A&M and FSU to explore if they are capable of winning the title. With Alabama, there’s no need to explore if its capable, it’s simply looking at some of the players who will play essential roles in getting them back in position to win again.

OK. It’s obvious that Yeldon, QB AJ McCarron, WR Amari Cooper and LB C.J. Mosley are key to Alabama claiming its third consecutive championship. We tend to steer clear of the obvious, but we’re making Yeldon an exception. Why?

Because he’s so good.

Alabama has relied on a devastating 1-2 punch at running back the past few years. Last year, Yeldon complemented Eddie Lacy. In 2011, Lacy complemented Trent Richardson. In 2010 and 2009, Richardson was the change-of-pace back for lead runner Mark Ingram, who won the Heisman in ’09.

But Yeldon topped 1,000 yards as a freshman last season while sharing carries with Lacy. This season, there’s no clear choice at No. 2. That’s not saying there aren’t talented backs lined up for the opportunity—Kenyan Drake, Dee Hart and freshmen Derrick Henry, Altee Tenpenny, Tyren Jones and Alvin Kamara are all capable of making the step. The question is: Will Nick Saban allow Yeldon to take on a bigger role as the dominant lead back? And, if he does, just what kind of numbers can the second-year back produce?

Adrian Hubbard has the look of a pass-rusher. At 6-6, 260-plus pounds, he led the Tide with seven sacks in 2012. But getting to the passer has been one of Saban’s concerns this fall.

Is there someone who can match Hubbard’s production? That’s where Dickson could emerge. With 3.5 sacks last season, Dickson was one of seven Alabama players to compiled between two and seven sacks. The 6-3, 265-pound junior arrived in Tuscaloosa with a reputation for getting to the passer. If he can complement Hubbard and make defenses account for him on a regular basis, Alabama’s defense could be that much more difficult for offenses to beat.

After battling injuries through most of his time at Alabama, the sophomore—and older brother of Tide left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio—is proving to be a capable starter. The coaches moved him from left guard to right tackle earlier this fall. And while that has appeared to work well at tackle, it hasn’t produced the desired results at guard where Austin Shepherd and Kellen Williams are battling.

With the Kouandjio brothers holding down the Tide offensive line on either end, Alabama looks to be in good shape, but with newcomers at center (Ryan Kelly replacing All-American Barrett Jones) and at left guard (replacing All-American Chance Warmack), you wonder if Alabama will keep Kouandjio at right tackle if neither Shepherd nor Williams emerges as a viable option.

Last season, Deion Belue and Dee Milliner combined for 94 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 27 pass breakups. Milliner was taken No. 9 overall by the New York Jets in April’s NFL draft. That’s a pretty big void to fill.

So it’s about time that senior John Fulton matched the expectations that came with him when he arrived in Tuscaloosa. One of the top cover players in the country coming out of Manning High School in South Carolina, Fulton has played and contributed in a secondary full of stars, but hasn’t had to play a leading role.

This year, that changes. Fulton appeared like the top candidate to play opposite Belue, and with Geno Smith’s arrest early Sunday, that looks like a done deal. But it’s time for him to be more than a special teams dynamo.

It remains to be seen how much Howard will play as a freshman. But one thing we know: he’s good, real good.

The 6-6, 240-pound tight end who runs like a receiver potentially gives McCarron a weapon he has not had at Alabama. Howard has the ability to stretch the field, make catches in traffic and is a nightmare for linebackers to match up against.

Last season, McCarron completed 24 passes to 6-6, 270-pound tight end Michael Williams for 183 yards and four touchdowns. Williams, a bruising blocker and above-average receiver, was drafted in the seventh round by Detroit.

With defenses focusing on Yeldon in the run game and Cooper on the outside in the passing game, Howard could prove to a big-time weapon in an offense sprouting with weapons with each recruiting class.